Oil-filter.



No. 652,543. Patented June 26, I900.

C; E. LEFEBVRE.

OIL FILTER.

(Application filed Apr. 6, 1900.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES-1:

PATENT FFTCEQ.

OIL-FILTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 652,543, dated June 26,1900.

Application filed April 5, 1900 T0 ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. LEFEBVRE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements inOil-Filters; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear,and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in oil-filters, andparticularly to that class designed for filtering waste oils caught fromengines and other classes of machinery.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a filter which shallbe simple in con struction, and therefore inexpensive to inanufacture,and more efficient in operation than the devices heretofore known andused.

A further object of my invention is to pro vide an oil-filter having aseparate storagechamber for the filtered oil, a purifyingchamber, and afiltering-cylinder, each compartment being independent of the other,thus making it unnecessary to draw off the pure oil when thepurifying-chamber is to be cleaned or to disturb the contents of eitherchamber when it is desired toremove the filtering-cylinder for cleansingor repairing purposes.

A still further object of my invention is to construct the differentfiltering parts so that they may be readily and quickly removed from theoutside casing without disturbing the oil therein when it is desired tocleanse the same or renew the filtering material.

Another object of my invention is to provide a steam-coil around thereceiving-tube, so that heat may be applied directly at the beginning ofthe filtering process, thereby rendering the oil thin, and thus greatlyaiding filtration, and also causing circulation of the water in the mainpurifying-chamber.

With these objects in view my invention consists in the construction,combination, and arrangement of the different parts, such as will behereinafter fully described,and particularly pointed out in the claimsmade hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of anoil-filter embodying my improvements,portions of the mechan r Serial No.11,624. (No model.)

ism being shown in side elevation and partly broken away for the purposeof more fully illustrating the construction and operation of myinvention. Fig. 2 is a plan view'of the same with the covers removed,and Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view taken about on the line a: m ofFig. 2.

In carrying'out my invention I provide an outer cylindrical casing A,provided with suitable supporting-feeta, the said cylinder beingconstructed of sheet-iron, copper, or any other suitable material. Thiscylinder A is divided by a vertical partition a into two separatecompartments B and O, the firstnamed, B, being the receiving andpurifying chamber, and the latter, 0, the storage-chamber for therecepti'ou'of the purified or filtered oil. a

The upper end of the cylinder A is provided with a top or cover I),which extends a short distance on each side of the said cylinder towardthe center, leaving an opening I), which is provided with two hingedlids c 0, one adapted to cover the receiving-chamber and the othet' thestorage-chamber, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. The lid 0 isprovided with a flange 0 which overlaps the lid c,so that when the lid 0is opened the lid 0 will also be opened with it. The inner edges of thetop portions 1) are provided with the angular flanges 6 extending acrossboth chambers of the cylinder A and serving as supporting-ledgesfor thereceiving-funnel in the chamber 13 and the filtering-cylinder in thechamber 0. The receiving-funnel D comprises the'funnel-shaped top (1,terminating in the vertical pipe d, which extends down within a shortdistance of the bottom of the chamber B. The funnel d is provided with aflange (1 which fits exactly into the opening provided in the top of thechamber B and restsupon the flanges 11 is fitted a sieve or strainer 6,having a bottom corresponding in shape to the funnel-bottom, butinclined on a slightly-different pitch and provided with perforations,as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. The funnelD is providedwith a baild sothat it'may be easily removed from its position in thechamber B for cleaning and repairing purposes. Around the lower end ofthe pipe at I provide a coil of steam-pipe F, having its ends Into thefunnel d projecting through the outer casing A,which are connected withthe source of steam-supply and with an exhaust-pipe.

The filtering-cylinder E comprises the upper neck portion 6', made ofsolid sheet metal, the lower portion 6 having a solid bottom and theintermediate portion f constructed of galvanized wire mesh. The upperend of the cylinder E is provided with the fiangesf, which rest upon theledges 13 formed on the top sections 1), and serve to support the saidcylinder in the storage-chamber C. The intermediate section f isprovided at its seam with a seriesof hooks or prongs f adapted to engageand secure the edge of the filtering-cloth g, which is wrapped aroundthe said intermediate portion three or four layers thick. The upper andlower edges of the filtering-cloth extend around the upper and lowersections 0 and c of the filtering-cylinder and are secured in positionby the cords g, which are wound around the same just above and below thebeads 9 which are provided in the cylinder for the purpose of preventingthe cords from slipping out of place.

A pipe H is provided in the upper portion of the filter, whichcommunicates the receiving-chamber with the filtering-cylinder. One endof this pipe passes through an opening provided in the section 6' of thefilteringcylinder and is threaded for the reception of the thumb-nut h,by means of which the said filtering-cylinder may be securely held inplace. The pipe His provided with a cut-off valve h, by means of whichthe passage between the two compartments may be opened or closed.

Each of the compartments B and C is provided with faucets, as m and 11,located in the outer casing at a point near the bottom of said chambersfor drawing off the contents thereof. A sight-gage, as L, is providedfor the storage-chamber and a similar gage K for the receiving-chamber.

The operation of myimproved filter may be described as follows: The lid0 is raised and the impure and waste oils are poured into the sieve e,provided in the upper portion of the funnel D, the lid 0 remainingclosed, so as to prevent the splashing of the dirty oil into thestorage-chamber when carelessly han dled. The oil then descends throughthe pipe d and passes out through the bottom of said pipe into the waterprovided in the lower portion of the chamber B, which being heated bythe steam-coil F diffuses the oil and causes it to separate intoglobules and rise to the surface of the water, while all the heavierparticles of grit and dirt sink to the bottom of the chamber,where theycan be drawn off through the valve m when desired. The oil in risingthrough the water in the manner just described becomes partiallypurified and accumulates on the top of the water and, when it reachesthe level of the inlet-pipe H, will pass through the same into thefil'tering cylinder E. From thence it passes through the wire mesh f andpercolates through the filteringcloth g, which action removes allforeign matter retained in the oil, so that when it reaches thestorage-chamber C it is absolutely purified and ready for use. When thefilteringcloth becomes clogged from constant usage and it is desired toremove the cylinder E for the purpose of cleaning same and renewing thecloth, the valve 7t is shut off and the thumb-nut it removed from thepipe H. The

cylinder can then be slid on the ledges b until it is entirely clear ofthe pipe H, when it can then be lifted out and the contents thereofpoured into the sieve e. The flange f around the top of the cylinder Eis of a size and shape corresponding to the opening I) in the top of thechamber 13, so that when the cylinder E is removed it may be turnedupside down and fitted into the opening I) over the sieve e, and thusallow the oil to drip out while the filtering-cloth is being removed andnew cloth substituted.

From the above-described construction and operation it will be readilyseen that I have produced a filter which is simple in its constructionand very rapid and efficient in its operation and one which absolutelypurifies the oil passing through it no matter how bad its conditionmight have been. Also by reason of the construction and arrangement ofthe different parts I am enabled to remove the different parts forcleansing purposes without disturbing either the filtered oil in thestorage-chambers or the partially-purified oil and other contents of thereceivingchamber.

The sieve e and the funnel D can both be easily lifted from their seatsand cleaned without disturbing the contents of either chamber.

I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of constructionillustrated in the drawings, as various slight changes might be effectedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. In an oil-filter, the combination with the outer casing, of areceiving-chamber adapted to be partially filled with water, areceivingfunnel located in said chamber extending near the bottomthereof, means for heating the water in said chamber, a storage-chamberseparate from the receiving-chamber, a filtering-cylinder suspended insaid storagechamber, a communication between the upper end of thereceiving-chamber and the upper end of the filtering-chamber, and meansfor closing the said communication, substantially as described.

2. In an oil-filter, the combination of an outer casing having aseparate receivingchamber and a storage-chamber, a removable funnellocated in the receiving chamber having a pipe extending to a point nearthe bot= tom thereof, a removable sieve adapted to the upper end of saidfunnel, a filtering-cyl inder suspended in the upper portion of thestorage-chamber, a pipe communicating the upper portion of thereceiving-chamber with the filtering-cylinder, an open mesh provided inthe lower portion of the filtering-cylinder, and a filter-cloth securedaround said open mesh, substantially as described.

3. In an oil-'filter, the combination of a receiving chamber adapted tocontain water, having ledges formed in its upper portion, a funnelhaving flanges adapted to rest on said ledges, a pipe extending fromsaid funnel to a point near the bottom of the receivingchamber, meansfor heating the said water, a storage-chamber separate from thereceiving-chamber, a filtering-cylinder suspended in saidstorage-chamber, and a pipe communicating the upper portion of thereceivingchamber with the filtering-cylinder.

L In an oil-filter, the combination of a receiving-chamber adapted tocontain water, ledges formed near the top of said chamber, a funnelhaving flanges adapted to rest on the top of said ledges, a sievelocated in said funnel, a pipe extending from the funnel .to

a point near the bottom of the receivingchamber, a storage-chamberadjacent to the receiving-chamber, ledges formed near the top of saidstorage-chamber, a filtering-cylinder having flanges formed on its upperedges adapted to rest on the ledges of the storage-chamber and a pipeconnecting the upper end of the receiving-chamber with the filteringcylinder, substantially as described.

5. The combination of a receiving-chamber adapted to contain water, afunnel located therein for delivering the oil at a point near the bottomof said chamber, a separate storage chamber having a filtering-cylindersuspended therein, a pipe communicating the upper end of thereceiving-chamber with the filtering-cylinder, a solid bottom formed insaid filtering-cylinder, an open wire mesh formed in said cylinder aboveits bottom, a filtering-cloth secured around said wire mesh, and meansfor securing said cloth to the cylinder, substantially as described.

6. The combination of an outer cylinder, having an oil-receivingchamber, adapted to receive the waste oil, a storage-chamber providedwith a filtering-cylinder communicating with the receiving-chamber, ahinged lid for closing the upper end of the storage-chamber, and aseparate hinged lid adapted to cover the upper end of thereceiving-chamber having a flange overlapping the lid of thestorage-chamber, substantially as described.

7. In an oil-filter, an outer cylindrical casing having a verticalpartition dividing the same into two separate compartments, a toppartially covering both sides of the outer cylinder, hinged lids adaptedto cover the openings of each compartment, ledges pending from each sideof the stationary cover in each compartment, a filtering-cylindersuspended on the ledges of one compartment, a receiving-funnel suspendedon the ledges of the other compartment, and a pipe communicating thefiltering-cylinder with the receivingcompartment.

8. In an oil-filter, the combination with the receiving-chamber, of astorage-chamber adjacent thereto, a filtering-cylinder located in theupper portion of the storage-chamber, flanges formed on the upper edgesof said filteringcylinder, ledges formed in the top of thestorage-chamber on which the flanges of the filtering-cylinder rest, apipe entering the receiving-chamber and having its other end enteringthe flltering-cylinder, and a lock nut secured on the projecting end ofthe pipe inside of filtering-cylinder, whereby the said cylinder is heldin position, substantially as described,

9. A filtering-cylinder for oil-filters comprising a cylinder closed atits lower end, an open wire mesh provided in said cylinder a shortdistance above its bottom, a bead formed above the mesh, and directlybelow the same,- a series of prongs provided in the said wire mesh, afiltering-cloth hooked to said prongs and wound around the wire mesh,-and means for securing the said cloth in its wrapped position.

10. In an oil-filter, the combination of an outer casing A, areceiving-chamber B, provided therein, adapted to contain Water, afunnel D, suspended in the upper portion of said receiving-chamber, atube connecting said funnel and extending to a point near the bottom ofthe chamber, a steam-coil surrounding the tube for heating the water andoil, a sieve 6, located in the funnel D, a storagechamber 0, afiltering-cylinder E, suspended in the upper portion of the saidstorage-chamher, a wire mesh f, formed in said filteringcylinder, afiltering-cloth provided around the wire mesh, a pipe I-I, entering theupper part of the receiving-chamber, and the upper part of thefiltering-cylinder, and a valve h, provided in said pipe, substantiallyas described and for the purpose stated.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 2d day of April, A.D. 1900.

CHARLES E. LEFEBVRE.

In presence of- J NO. T. (JRoss, CHAS. K. BENNETT.

